A well-known Charlotte Dentist, Dr. Spurgeon W. Webber, Jr., 77, passed away December 6, 2011 at Presbyterian Hospital of Charlotte. He was born on January 26, 1934 in Kings Mountain, NC, the son of the late Dorothy Alexander Webber and the late Spurgeon W. Webber, Sr. Dr. Webber graduated from Lincoln Academy in Kings Mountain. He also earned the rank of Eagle Scout during his youth. He continued his education at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Hampton, Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry, with a minor in Education. His years of loyalty to Hampton earned him the Outstanding Alumnus Award and the Hamptonian of the Year Award. Dr. Webber earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Meharry Medical College's School of Dentistry. Meharry is also where he met the love of his life, his wife Mrs. Loretta Jean Webber, a former nurse.
After dental school, Dr. Webber served as a Captain in the United States Air Force Dental Corps, before going into private practice. While practicing dentistry for more than 50 years in the Charlotte Community, Dr. Webber provided associate opportunities for more than 30 dentists. Many of his associates went on to establish their own practices. Dr. Webber was the first African-American to serve on the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners. He was also a life member of the American Dental Association and held memberships in the National Dental Association, the North Carolina Dental Society, the Charlotte Dental Society and a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry. He served as the past president of the Old North State Dental Society, which honored him with its Distinguished Service Award. In November, The Charlotte Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Society awarded Dr. Webber its highest honor, the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award. The Governor of North Carolina also bestowed the state's most coveted award to Dr. Webber, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor given to a civilian. Dr. Webber was often recognized for his outstanding community service and strong support for education throughout the state and the nation. The dental laboratory at Central Piedmont Community College was named in his honor due to his dedicated service as past Vice-Chairman of the CPCC Board of Trustees. He also served as past Chairman of the Winston-Salem State University Board of Trustees and was a board member at Laurinburg Institute. Dr. Webber, along with his wife, have established scholarship programs and endowments at Central Piedmont Community College, endowments at Hampton University and Johnson C. Smith University and unrestricted gifts to Meharry Medical College and Winston Salem State University. His numerous awards and honors include the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund's Award of Excellence, the Urban League of Central Carolinas' Outstanding Community Champion Award and The Harvey Gantt Center's Patron of the Arts & Civic Leader Award. The City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have also recognized him for his years of civic involvement. He was the owner of the University Park Medical Center, where he provided dental care to patients for five decades until his death. His past business affiliations include being a founding partner of Metro-Crescent Communications, WJZY Channel 46 and Chairman of the Board of American Healthcare Supply Company. He also served on the Metro Charlotte Advisory Board of the former Wachovia Bank, board member for Delta Dental Plan of North Carolina and the Dental Foundation of North Carolina. He was a dedicated member of First Congregational United Church of Christ in King Mountain, where he served as a Trustee. He was a life member of the NAACP, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and the National Association of Guardsmen, Inc.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Loretta Jean (Hill) Webber, of Charlotte: a son, Dr. Spurgeon Webber, III and wife, Sterlin Benson Webber of Charlotte; a daughter, Deidra Webber Humphrey and husband, Hubert Humphrey, of Charlotte; and two grandchildren, Hubert Tolison Humphrey, a junior at Duke University and Symphony Bouvier Webber, a freshman at Providence Day School in Charlotte.